Yes, upkeep would be the only concern especially at the beach, but suppose it would depend on the type of timber and on the paint as to how long the soffit can withstand the elements. What other building material is commonly used for soffits in your profession? Its not unnusual here in the land downunder to have timber soffits in new builds. All the older rural cottages from the 1900s used hardwood for soffits. There was an abundance and it would be stockpiled and seasoned for years before use. Today I suppose the longevity of timber soffits would still depend, if not moreso, with the building methods used today, on the type of timber, whether it was well seasoned and especially on the manner in which it was seasoned ( i,e stockpiled and turned or kiln dried).. Its an interesting question,

With a long room like yours, I would recommend thinking about how you will use the different 'zones' of the room - so for example you may want something soft above the couch, enough to read by but also enough to relax under with a glass of wine in the evenings whereas over the table you may need something brighter for the kids to do their homework (or whatever your lifestyle lends itself to). Where possible I always recommend LED lighting - they are capable of producing both warm and cool light colours and can even be used in accent lighting. They are also very popular for their energy efficiency and they give off almost no heat which is an added safety feature.

In my opinion it's going to look like a flag , (white ,red blue. )If you want to paint house blue go darker and maybe French blue or greyish blue it's a bit more elegant and all the trims white but be careful outside all the colours look much brighter and lighter so when think it's just right go a shade darker .

Thank you for your responses. Both areas are separated by a bulk head in the kitchen with the kitchen light a bit hidden by it. The dilema is that the dinning have traditional beige courtains with rectangular palmets and there is nothing black on it should i choose something that matches the color of the kitchen which is predominately black and beige or  something that matches the colours of dining wich are beige with the same colour of the wood as the shutters in the kitchen ( honey colur). I apreciate your feedbak.  Thank you.